Milk Versus a Pea-based Beverage for Bone and Muscle Health in Young Athletes

Milk protein is important especially for very active people and in the context of plant-based diets, which are lower in protein quality. The purpose of the study is to compare the effectiveness of milk supplementation to pea-beverage supplementation during resistance training programs for increasing lean tissue mass in adolescent boys and girls. Secondary and tertiary outcomes include fat mass, bone mineral density, and muscular strength. It is hypothesized that milk supplementation during resistance training will be more effective than plant-based proteins (i.e. pea-beverage) for increasing muscle mass, reducing fat mass, and improving bone mineral outcomes in adolescent boys and girls. One-hundred and fourteen boys and girls (aged 12-17y) who are currently enrolled in resistance training programs (3 times per week for 6 months) as part of their competitive athletic programs will be stratified by sex and maturity status before being randomized to three groups: 1) 1% chocolate milk supplementation; 2) pea-based beverage; 3) carbohydrate beverage (placebo control). Beverages will be consumed during recovery from each resistance training session (i.e. 250 ml immediately after training and 250 ml one hour later to optimize post-exercise protein synthesis) over the six-month intervention. It is anticipated that milk supplementation will be more effective than plant-based protein supplementation.

Inclusion criteria

• Currently participating in a resistance-training program 3 times per week
• Female participants must have reached menarche

Exclusion criteria

• Have taken any nutritional supplement (e.g., protein, creatine, amino acids) within the past month
• Currently taking anabolic steroids or oral corticosteroids
• Allergies to dairy, almonds, cashews, or peas